A playlist of music that loosely influenced “The Mouth”

1. “Slow boat to China” performed by Freddy Martin. It didn’t survive the final draft but this was playing on the gramaphone in the collaborator’s living room.

2. “I Fought the Law” by the Bobby Fuller Four. The Clash famously covered this song in the 70s. The Bobby Fuller Four’s earlier version is more upbeat and has the same defiant tone.

3. “Hold On” by John Lennon. One to listen to when the shit is hitting the fan. Sometimes all you can do is hold on.

4. “God Save the Queen” by the Sex Pistols. At the time the song was considered nihilistic. Johnny Rotten claimed: “You don’t write ‘God Save The Queen’ because you hate the English race. You write a song like that because you love them, and you’re fed up with them being mistreated.”

5. “Lord Grenville” by Al Stewart. There’s a wistful tone to this historical folk-rock song told from the viewpoint of a disillusioned sailor. Grenville was a British sea captain who sailed his crew towards a hostile Spanish fleet of 53 vessels.

6. “Hurricane” by Bob Dylan. Conciousness-raising may not work immediately but sometimes, as in the case of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, it is worth keeping the faith.

7. “The Teddy Bear’s Picnic” performed by Henry Hall and his Orchestra. It’s probably just me but I’ve always found this a tiny bit sinister.

8. “War on Freedom” by Killing Joke. Freedom is always under attack.

9. “Everybody’s Fool” by Evanescence. The song is about the unreal perfection of airbrushed celebrities – but there are people around who keep everybody fooled.

10. “I’m Leaving You Because I Don’t Love You” by Jens Lekman. This is the kind of love song people might sing to each other in a dystopian future.